Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice (Gluten-Free, Vegan / Plant-Based)

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice — a zippy, flavorful dish that’s lower in carbs and higher in nutrients than traditional beans and white rice, but equally as tasty and versatile!

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Ingredients

The Versatility of Cauliflower

If you have read any of my other posts where cauliflower is featured as a main ingredient you will have heard me talk about its nutritional generosity. If you haven’t, and you are interested in all that cauliflower has to offer nutritionally, then hop on over to my Cauliflower “Egg” Salad post. Its benefits don’t stop there. As it turns out, cauliflower is quite diverse and can be a key ingredient in making a variety of plant-based dishes.

Now, I am adding one of my favorite Mexican recipes to the list with Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice. The black beans offer plant-based protein, high fiber and are an excellent source of iron and antioxidants. What a winning combination these two are!

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Sauteing Vegetables

Kid-friendly Cauliflower

As a recipe developer, one of the things I value most is the reaction I get when I prepare a new dish and present it to someone to taste. That unrehearsed, spontaneous response provides so much unbiased insight into the dish.

I am fortunate enough to have a built-in team of testers — my husband and my son and daughter! I never have to worry that I’m getting less than truthful feedback.

They are all very honest with their opinions, and I am very grateful for that. My daughter is my savory girl and she loves to try new dishes. Mexican cuisine is one of her favorites, so as I was developing this dish the aroma drew her into the kitchen. She didn’t know what I was making, only that it contained cauliflower. She used to think she didn’t like cauliflower but thanks to my other cauliflower recipes all of that has changed.

I was at the point in the prep process where I needed to assess the overall flavor and decide if it needed more or less of any of the ingredients. Since she was eager to taste, I cooled a bite and gave it to her. Her face said it all, “Mom, this tastes just like black beans and rice! Is that really cauliflower?” Yeesss! As I affirmed with a shake of my head I could hardly contain my excitement when she said, “Wow, that cauliflower tastes just like rice!” That is a slam dunk in my book.

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Ready to plate

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

This dish makes a great main course, side dish, or even a great filling for a wrap or burrito. If you are not digging the spicy jazz and would prefer a milder version, then I would try omitting the cayenne pepper, substituting cilantro for the parsley, and adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice.

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice -- a zippy, flavorful dish that's lower in carbs and higher in nutrients than traditional beans and white rice but equally as tasty and versatile. This dish makes a great main course, side dish or even delicious filling for a wrap or burrito.

Ingredients

1 can (about 15.5 ounces) black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 large head cauliflower (3 rounded cups riced)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)

1/2 cup fresh sweet onion (finely chopped)

1/2 cup fresh red bell pepper (diced)

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices (finely chopped)

sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup fresh parsley diced (or cilantro)

Instructions

1) Rinse and drain black beans. After removing excess water, place on paper towels or flat surface for remaining water to evaporate while preparing the vegetables.

2) Cut cauliflower into florets and remove the thick core. Pulse in small batches in food processor to make "rice". See picture in post for proper consistency. Empty into large bowl and repeat. If there are uncut pieces of the core, remove them and discard. A box grater can be used as an alternative to a food processor. You will need about 3 full rounded cups of cauliflower "rice". Set aside.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

I decided to go a bit off the rails with your help, of course. I made your recipe as shown in the video with all but the cayenne pepper.. I added a can of tuna for some protein, sriracha for some fire. and fire roasted tomatoes with diced chilli and frozen corn for a little sweetness. Then, some avocado to give it that rich taste just before serving.

Thanks for this recipe. I used it for a Cuba night potluck as a vegetable-option dish. One large head of cabbbage made 6 cups of “rice,” so I doubled msot of the other ingredients, but only 1/8 tsp cayenne. It was almost too much for my 12-inch cast iron pan. I used an extra Tbl of olive oil and a tsp butter, and started the onions first, then the garlic so the garlicl would not overcook. At the end I layered in over 2 cups of chopped cilantro and the juice of 1 small lime. By the time we ate it, the flavors had melded together and the cauliflower had cooked more, though not to the point of mushy. It came out so well, it’s now on my short list of potluck dishes to make and take.

This came out sooooo yummy and filling. Thank you so much for this recipe as I do not eat meat but I love beans! And I love cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes or rice.. I did put my own spin on it and made some changes though. When I served it for myself I added a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s eggplant garlic spread and a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s red pepper spread and it’ spiced it up. Also instead of olive oil I used vegetable broth.. I Iam not a cilantro lover so I used the parsley and I did not use the pickled jalapeños either. I will be making this dish quite often and for me it is very filling and nutritious as a main dish.

Hi Linda! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe! I totally agree, the recipe is really flexible for a personal customization. Coincidentally, I was working on a video recipe for my youtube channel today and mentioned that very same thing! 🙂

Thank you for the recipe! I made this dish but substituted carrots for the red bell peppers and put some fresh avocado slices on top. It was so yummy and just as good when reheated the next two nights! At Whole Foods, they had the Cauliflower already in rice form which made this dish super easy!

Hi Amy, Yes it does reheat well. The flavors really have time to blend so it is even more delicious! I usually make a big batch for leftovers as well. I will sometimes just grab a bowl straight out of the refrigerator and eat it cold. It is friendly for eating cold as I didn’t include a lot of oil in the recipe. But it does taste delicious reheated too! 🙂

Delicious! Since I didn’t have jalapenos, I used an Ancho Chili powder and Cumin, then subbed a few handfuls of baby spinach for the parsley. It was more mild than your recipe intended, but we loved it! Thanks for sharing. Now that we can buy prepared ‘riced’ cauliflower, this quick to fix recipe will definitely be in our regular rotation!

Hi Dianne! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Your modifications sound delicious! I agree, it is so awesome that the ‘riced’ cauliflower is available in a many stores now. Anything that makes healthy eating more accessible is a good thing! 🙂

Is the nutritional info listed somewhere? I would be interested to know the calories per serving. I have recently started logging my intake of calories, fat, etc. I am looking forward to trying this! It sounds delicious! Thank you, Sue

Hi Sue, We are currently working on a solution to provide nutrition information for all of my recipes. We hope to have that available very soon!! I hope you enjoy the Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice 🙂

I added a can of Rotella diced tomatoes with green chilies, since I can’t handle the heat of jalapeños. Do you know how many servings the recipe is for? I’m trying to calculate it in a nutritional food log.

Hi Ann, I love the idea of the diced tomatoes and green chilies with the Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice. That sounds delicious! I would approximate, based on the addition of the tomatoes and chilies, that the recipe makes between 5 to 6 one cup servings. Part of the variance is a result of how long everything is cooked as the size will shrink with a longer cooking time. I hope this helps! 🙂

I love this recipe! I didn’t use the pickled jalapeños for the kids sake, but this will be my go to recipe for Cauliflower from now on. I added Cilantro and Parsley. It’s so delicious…I had to put the bowl away so I wouldn’t eat the whole thing. Thanks!

Thanks Michelle!! I am so glad you liked it. Well, the great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty if you do eat more than usual. I bet it was tasty with both parsley and cilantro — I’ll try that next time I have both on hand. 🙂